Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

ListenLearnConfessAnd Turn....

As we continue in our series on the Eighteen Inch Gap, we will see in part three that we are always to be learning, confessing and turning to the one and only true God. Our Scripture text teaches us that the only way we can listen, learn and confess is to apply the Scripture text to our lives on a daily basis.

Our Eighteen Inch Gap will come effective for us if we apply three things in this one verse of Scripture. Please keep in mind that the gap I'm speaking of is the distance from our mind to our heart. Without learning, we will never surrender our bodies a living sacrifice. If we are listening to our minds over the voice of God within us then we will be hearers only rather than doers. Listening opens our hearts and minds to be conformed to the world and its ways, rather than by listening and giving God the opportunity to close that gap and bridge it with His promises and provisions. We must listen to the Word of God. Then, in a final closure of that gap, we must confess to God our fears, sins and adversities that hold us back from obedience to the will of God. You see, Jesus bridged our gap at Calvary through his crucifixion. The problem is that we can't live with Him permanently on that bridge of love, life and holiness because we bridge our lives and our issues with our own things, thoughts and opinions. Our bridge is only a temporary fix and can never compare to the bridge that Jesus built. It is permanent. It is eternal and life fulfilling.

From my heart yours, I pray that you choose to close the gap and the battle of being a radical Christian by bridging that gap between the mind and the heart with truth of the Word of God. Only you can change you and your relationship with Jesus Christ by applying three principles. Are you ready to listen to God? Are you ready to learn from God? Most of all, are you ready to confess to God everything about you that He already knows? Bridging that gap between the mind and the heart should always start with confession.

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When you confess then God will speak to you and you will listen. God will teach you more about Him and His will for your life and He will make the change smoother than you can imagine, because you will be learning from Him. You will be willing to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable into Him. When you turn in the direction of God, you will never be the same. Turning to God is your only hope for overcoming the warfare of that Eighteen Inch Gap that drives us in the wrong direction causing us to go our own way. When we turn to God’s will for your life, you will find yourself not only on the bridge with Him but wanting to live on that bridge with Him. There is no better life and peace than living daily in the presence of The Lord.